How to Cook a Rack of Lamb for a Barbecue

by
KAY MIRANDA Last Updated: Feb 19, 2014

Kay Miranda

In 2001, Kay Miranda had her second screenplay purchased, then started writing a weekly column in "The Messenger," with work appearing in "Xquisite" and "Valley Scene Magazine." Miranda earned a Bachelor of Arts in bio-psychology from the University of Colorado. Fortunate to play collegiate tennis, Miranda has extensive travel and coaching experience.

Lamb is a non-gamey tasting meat that is tender and rich in flavor. Lamb is most often cooked rare or medium rare. When buying your rack of lamb, choose a pink to pale red cut that has firm white marbling. A rack of lamb has eight ribs which are usually stripped of all meat and tendons for a prettier presentation. But barbecue guests often love savoring the tidbits of meat and flavor on the ends of the bones.

Step 1

Mix Merlot, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, chopped parsley and chopped rosemary in a bowl. Set half of the marinade aside for basting and use the other half for a marinade.

Step 2

Place rack of lamb in roasting pan, pouring marinade over the lamb. Cover and set in the refrigerator for two to four hours to marinade.

Step 3

Pull the lamb out of the refrigerator 60 minutes prior to putting on the barbecue. The lamb should warm to room temperature before cooking. Toss the marinade the lamb was soaking in.

Step 4

Heat the grill to medium-high. Medium-high is approximately 350 degrees F.

Step 5

Place the rack of lamb fat side down on the grill. Sear for one minute on the fat side before turning to sear on the fleshy side for one minute.

Step 6

Turn back to the fat side to cook for six to eight minutes. Baste every couple of minutes with the marinade set aside.

Step 7

Flip to the rack and cook for another six to eight minutes, basting every couple of minutes.

Step 8

Check the temperature to determine how well-cooked the meat is. The center should reach 120 degrees F for rare meat, 125 degrees F for medium rare and 130 degrees F for medium.

Step 9

Remove the rack from the grill and let it set for 15 minutes.

Things You'll Need

Bowl

Spoon

1 ¾ cups Merlot

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig parsley, chopped

5 sprigs rosemary, chopped

Roasting pan

Aluminum foil

Refrigerator

Thongs

Meat thermometer

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